Imagine a world where cars drive themselves down busy streets without any human behind the wheel to drive them — avoiding traffic jams to get wherever they need to go, including even dropping kids off at school.
So while autonomous vehicles (AVs) may no longer be just a dream of the future, they are rapidly becoming real. In the US major car manufacturers and tech giants are hotly competing to develop self-driving technology that will help make roads safer and more convenient.
Despite the excitement around AVs’ future, questions still exist, and some are still to be answered: regulations, safety concerns, and so on. Like automotive enthusiasts who check out options like vintage muscle cars or military cars for sale, many people are curious about what self driving tech means for the future of personal and commercial transportation.
The Current State of Autonomous Vehicles
In recent years, Autonomous vehicle technology has gone very far. Developed ADAS by Tesla, Waymo, and General Motors have made it so that the cars can help you stay in the lane, automatically brake and even be driven by you under specific conditions.
They use combinations of sensors, cameras, radar and artificial intelligence (AI) to decode surroundings and take decisions to drive. But even with these breakthroughs, fully autonomous cars — those that do not even need a human to touch the wheel — are still in testing.
Today most of the AVs on the road fall into the category of Level 2 or Level 3 autonomy, where they still require human supervision. Safety and regulatory challenges, however, will likely make the transition to fully autonomous Level 4 and Level 5 vehicles, with no need for a driver, more time consuming.
Safety and Regulatory Challenges
Safety is, overwhelmingly, one of the biggest concerns regarding autonomous vehicles. AVs have the ability to decrease accidents caused by human error, but not all self driving technology can readily stop crashes.
Even for example, the company is exposed to several high profile accidents from Tesla’s autopilot system, leading to questions on whether its self driving technology is ready for mass use. Regulations are another challenge.
There is no such unified federal law in the USA as to autonomous vehicles, which means the rules vary from state to state. And some states, like California and Arizona, have allowed AV testing on public roads, including some states. Some, as they are prudently cautious, have insisted on their AV operation being made more safe before authorizing the system’s operation.
The Role of AI and Machine Learning
In the soul of development of autonomous vehicle, lies Artificial intelligence (AI). The AI on the part of self driving cars process big data from the cameras, sensors and GPS systems as AI driven algorithms.
These vehicles use machine learning to understand road signs, predict the movement of pedestrians and what to do when faced with sudden obstacles. Handling unpredictable human behavior is one of the biggest barriers for AI in the AV, which will encounter all types of drivers.
Real world driving has many more variables than any controlled environment — sudden lane changes, jaywalking pedestrians and on. For AVs to realize their wide ranging potential, the AI must also keep getting better at being able to deal with these complicated situations.
Infrastructure and Connectivity
Connectivity and smart infrastructure are also future of autonomous vehicles. Self driving technology, the roads, traffic lights, the city planning, everything must get fixed. Embedded sensors in smart highways send communications with AVs to help them navigate more efficiently.
Another crucial factor is 5G technology. With high speed internet connectivity an AV is free to receive up to the minute information regarding traffic conditions, weather, road hazards, etc. But many experts say that widespread adoption of AVs will need a fully connected transportation network, one where the cars, the traffic signals, city infrastructure all work in concert.
Impact on Jobs and the Economy
And of course the market for common goods like cars will be disrupted with the rise of self driving cars. As autonomous fleets of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft become commonplace, we see the possibility of making less need for human drivers.
Trucking companies are also investing in AV technology as a way to more efficiently and cheaply handle long haul deliveries and potentially impact millions of truck driving jobs. Meanwhile, the AV revolution will open the door to a suite of jobs in software development, cybersecurity and vehicle maintenance. About this there will be a shift, a new kind of need calling for retraining programs, for a workforce trained in AI and robotics and data analysis.
The Future of Personal and Public Transportation
Autonomous technology is a future for individual car owners where commutes are stress free, headaches do not include finding a parking spot, and fuel efficiency is enhanced. Self driving buses and taxis could also revolutionize public transportation as it could become a convenient and relatively cheap way of getting around.
Already, many automakers are looking into partnerships with tech companies to place AVs in urban transportation. Couriers have tested autonomous shuttles and robo taxis in cities like San Francisco and Las Vegas, get a glimpse of what transportation could be like in the future.
Conclusion
The future of autonomous vehicles in the USA is promising yet complex. While technological breakthroughs seem to be pushing self driving cars closer to reality, safety, regulatory, infrastructure and public acceptance issues are still challenging impediments.
As AV technology improves and becomes a more common part of day to day life over the next decade, we have to assume we get some sort of gradual change. But if it’s personal cars, commercial fleets, or public transport, autonomous vehicles will revolutionize the way Americans move on, making roads safer and our transportation more efficient.
Linkify IT Firm 
IQnewswire 
Awais Shamsi